NOVEMBER 2010 TEAM OF THE MONTH - UNIVERSITY OF LAVAL ROUGE ET OR

IFAF on 12/13/2010


The University of Laval Rouge et Or completed the perfect season winning their sixth Desjardins Vanier Cup  with a 29-2 victory over Calgary Dinos at PEPS Stadium in Quebec City on November 27 in front of a sellout crowd of 16,237.

Laval is lead by head coach Glen Constantin who was also named CIS Coach of the Year. This is his record fifth Vanier Cup title as a head coach. Laval has not lost in a regular season or in the playoffs since 2004 - a streak of 44 games.

The unbeaten Rouge et Or, 13-0 this season, became only the second team to win the national championship at home and the first since 1993 when the Toronto Varsity Blues beat Calgary.

"People here are going to remember this for a long time," said coach Constantin. "This one is special, very special."

Sébastien Lévesque was named game MVP for his stellar performance recording 172 yards including a 40-yard touchdown run touchdown. He is a third-year running back from Brossard who missed part of the regular season with a knee injury.

"From a personal standpoint, it was a difficult season because of injuries. So it's very rewarding to pass this kind of performance and thus contribute in a game of this magnitude. But all the credit goes to my teammates, my line opened cracks incredibly."

Marc-Antoine Beaudoin-Cloutier, with two solo tackles, five assisted and one sack, was named defensive player of the match. He said the team victory has been won through the game plan developed by the coaches. "The key was to stop the race, and we can say mission accomplished."

Laval started the game with a bang with two touchdowns early in the first quarter. On their second offensive sequence - only three minutes into the game - Sébastien Lévesque punched the ball past the Dinos for a 41-yard touchdown run.

After a defensive stop, Laval got the ball back and quickly moved it down the field with a 40-yard touchdown pass from Prud'homme to Yannick Morin Plante as Laval built a 14-0 lead as Levesque had nine carries for 85 yards in the first quarter alone.  

Calgary's offense was never able to find openings with the suffocating defensive by Laval, and ended the first quarter with negative yardage.  

During the first half, the Red and Gold (Laval) reached the Dinos' red zone multiple times, but failed to score another touchdown. But All-Canadian Kicker Christopher Milo - a fourth-year senior from Montreal -  showcased his accurate leg going 5-for-5 on field goals, hitting from of 12, 24, 23, 27 and 18 yards.

And Laval went into half holding a commanding 26-2 lead after a safety.

Laval put up 375 yards in total offense, 225 of which came on the ground, while the defense held the Dinos' to only 140 yards. Calgary had only 40 yards in the first half.  

Laval quarterback Bruno Prud'Homme completed 10 of 13 passes for 163 yards, winning the championship for the first time as the starter with the departure of Benoit Groulx.

This was a great team effort with Laval dominating in each aspect of the game. And with hard work and determination the Red and Gold were able to accomplish their goal of going undefeated and winning the Vanier Cup in front of their home crowd.

IFAF.org would like to honor the team's accomplishment by naming the team IFAF.org 2010 November Team of the Month.